Jim Miklos, a 95-year-old Brantford resident and Second World War veteran, got a surprise when he opened a special delivery parcel last week.

"I thought: 'What's this all about?' I wasn't expecting any parcels and certainly nothing that would have to be sent special delivery," Miklos said. "Then I opened it up and thought, 'Why me?

"What did I do deserve this?"

Inside was a medal - the Legion of Honour - and a letter signed by Kareen Rispal, France's ambassador to Canada.

"By order of the President of the Republic of France, as of Dec. 18, 2017, you have been awarded the rank of Knight of the French National Order of the Legion of Honour," the letter states. "The distinction (Legion of Honour is the highest national order of France) illustrates the profound gratitude that France would like to express to you.

"It is awarded in recognition of your personal involvement in the liberation of our country during World War II."

The letter goes on to say that the people of France remember the sacrifice of "all your compatriots who came to liberate French soil."

Miklos was a member of the First Canadian Parachute Battalion, an elite unit that was formed in 1942 and first came to prominence on D-Day.

Prior to the start of the invasion of occupied Europe by the Allied forces, members of the parachute battalion, fighting with the British 6th Airborne Division, dropped behind the German lines in France. Their goal was to disrupt German forces by securing bridges needed for the invasion and to engage the enemy in firefights to prevent them from reinforcing German positions on the coast of France.

Miklos was dropped in France on June 18, 1944, after the initial attack, and was with the campaign to liberate France and the rest of Nazi-occupied Europe for several months. He participated in three major missions, concluding with the capture of the Baltic town of Wismar.

Miklos was nominated for the medal by his granddaughter. Tori Poulin, who lives in Victoria, B.C.

Poulin grew up in Kingston, but said in a telephone interview that she spent a lot of time visiting her grandparents, Miklos and his wife, Margaret.

"I always knew that he was in the Second World War and he'd tell us stories," she said. "But, as a kid, there was only so much I could retain."

Her appreciation for what her grandfather and his comrades did grew when Poulin, at 17, travelled through Europe with her parents. The trip included visits to communities where the First Canadian Battalion fought during the liberation.

Poulin's husband, Eric, serves with the Canadian Navy. Reading a Navy publication one day, she saw an advertisement about the Legion of Honour medal.

"When I saw the ad and read the requirements all I could think of was Papa - that's him," Poulin said.

She started making enquiries, filled out the necessary paperwork and sent the information to Veterans Affairs. It took a few months for the application to be verified.

Poulin is delighted that the medal has been delivered.

"I'm so happy for him and for Nana, as well," she said. "He deserves it."

She noted that her grandparents have been married for 71 years.

"They are among the people I most admire in the world."

She said plans are underway to arrange a date for a ceremony to officially present the medal to her grandfather.

"When I know the date, I'm booking my plane ticket," she said. "I really want to be there for them."

Although thrilled with the honour, Miklos said his thoughts are with the men who paid the supreme sacrifice.

"There are so many who fought and sadly died without this recognition, including a lot from Brantford and Brant County," Miklos said. "The only way I can really accept this is in their honour."

He mentioned William (Bill) Gilmour, Cole Gregor, Syd Pass, Joe Tansley, Ken Clark, Lloyd Hopkins, Gord Haviland, Lloyd Graham, Jim Papple and, one of his closest friends, Andy McNally, a private from Edmonton. McNally died after getting hit with shrapnel after the battalion's landing east of the Rhine in March 1945.

"He (McNally) was the kind of guy who would do anything for you," Miklos recalled.